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German Baseball Federation Honors ISG President with First-ever Needle of Honor AwardHAAR, DE: Courtesy Mister-Baseball
The German Baseball and Softball Federation (DBV) used their annual All-Star Game between the German National Team and the Bundesliga All-Stars on Sunday, July 23 in Munich-Haar to honor Tom O’Connell of the International Sports Group (ISG) for his contributions to the development of German Baseball with the DBV Needle of Honor. “Tom has been a big supporter of the development of the sport in Europe, but especially in Europe. Many of our players and coaches got in touch with him at one point during their career and got inspired by his love for the game,” says DBV President Mirko Heid. “We hope that Tom will return to Germany in the coming years and we can continue taking advantage of his expertise to grow baseball in our country.” Coaching baseball for nearly 50 years at the High School level in his home state Wisconsin, O’Connell served as the lead MLB Envoy Coach in Germany since 1993 and spent many summers in Germany to develop baseball players and coaches. As vice president of ISG he has been instrumental in the success of the baseball clinic at the annual DBV Convention with up to 100 coaches every January. An accomplished author, O’Connell has published three books with Human Kinetics Press, Coaching Baseball: Techniques and Tactics, one of the top selling baseball handbooks and the textbook for coach licensing in the USA, Coaching Youth Baseball, a manual for youth coaches, and, most recently, Play Ball: 100 Baseball Practice Games. Involved in the American Baseball Coaches Association for 44 straight years, O’Connell chaired its High School Division from 1984-1996 and now serves on the Board of Directors and heads the Ethics in Coaching Award Committee. He presided over the Wisconsin Baseball Coaches Association and organized their successful Clinic and Convention for twenty years and, in 1991, was named their Man of the Year. He has been inducted into three Halls of Fame: The Old Time Baseball Players Hall of Fame in Milwaukee, the WBCA Hall of Fame, and in 2007 became only the 16th high school coach to ever be inducted into the ABCA Hall of Fame in its 64-year history. The German Baseball and Softball Federation (DBV) is awarding the Needle of Honor to persons to recognize their tireless work in the name of baseball and softball in Germany. 
Photo by Gregor Eisenhuth, www.eisenhuth-photographie.de
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ISG/CEB Coaching Seminars Continue in BulgariaBeginning in 2015, International Sports Group and the European Baseball Confederation (CEB) began an illustrious partnership to further develop coaching in Europe. Last year, coaches in Croatia and the Ukraine were instructed in some of the finer points of the game and are now spreading their knowledge throughout their nations.
This July, the first of the 2017-18 seminars will be held in Bulgaria. Pete Caliendo will conduct the week long classes for Bulgarian coaches which will lead to certification from CEB. Further information about the certification process and how a nation may become involved can be obtained by contacting President Tom O'Connell. ISG Clinic Season Begins with Historic Clinic in New Zealand
For the first time in its history, International Sports Group will send a team of instructors to the land of the long white cloud to conduct a clinic in Auckland, New Zealand. The clinic will be held in late September of this year and will kick off the most ambitious schedule yet in ISG's 33 years.
This clinic marks a departure for the organization which usually begins its season of seminars with the annual European Baseball Coaches Convention in November, but the baseball forces in New Zealand felt it was time for the organization to bring its team of experts to their island nation in what is their early spring. The EBCA clinic follows the "kiwi" session the second weekend in November. The location for this Europe-wide annual meeting will be Antwerp, Belgium. Between the EBCA and the 2017-2018 season ending clinic in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan in March, ISG teams will travel to eleven other nations and educate coaches at a total of 14 separate clinics. Details and dates for each clinic may be found on our schedule page. |
New Feature: Diamond field care tips from Turface! Check out our "MEMBERS" tab Scroll Down for MORE stories: ...Keeping the Game FUN Caliendo in the Caribbean |
Everyone knows the old saying about "idle hands" and the devil's playground...Well, ISG VP Pete Caliendo surely took that one to heart while on a recent well-deserved holiday to the Caribbean island of St. Maarten. Not content to just relax, catch rays and sip on umbrella-covered cocktails with his wife, Beverly, Caliendo couldn't resist visiting some baseball games nearby.
Gabriel Brown, the director of PONY Baseball/Softball on the island, part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands that is shared with the French province of St. Martin, invited Pete to join a practice session. While there, Pete spoke with the players giving them tips and then stayed to watch them play a game. Now that's dedication! Wonder what Beverly was doing all that time? 
Above: ISG Vice President Pete Caliendo (center, blue shirt) surrounded by PONY baseball players in St. Maarten.
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Baseball Canada's Vision for Long Term Athletic Development Shared in Coaching Tips Section
Baseball Canada is miles ahead of the curve when it comes to developing athletes for life-long success. Thanks to our friend Andre Lachance, they have allowed us to share the scope of that vision with you. Check out our coaching tips section for a graphic illustration of their LTAD plans.
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